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Osoyoos Cannabis is a company poised to process raw cannabis and produce cannabis extracts for Canada’s medicinal and adult-use markets. The company will generate revenue through third-party contract and toll processing, wholesaling of oils and distillates, white-label solutions and through selling Osoyoos Cannabis-branded products.

Osoyoos Cannabis has secured a lease with the Osoyoos Indian Band in Oliver, British Columbia (BC) for a cannabis extraction facility, which will be built out in two phases, the first of which is underway. Once the facility is fully operational, it will be able to process up to 100,000 kilograms of dried flower and produce approximately 9,800 kilograms of cannabis oil annually. The company has also re-submitted its processing license application to Health Canada through the Indigenous Navigator program, which the Company believes will help expedite the licensing process.

The company is also in discussions with the Osoyoos Indian Band to lease over 100 acres of land adjacent to the extraction facility for an outdoor cultivation site. The Okanagan has a hot, dry climate, which makes it an ideal location for outdoor cannabis cultivation.

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With that in mind, here the Investing News Network provides a comprehensive look at robotics with an overview of the subject and where it is headed in the future.

What is robotics?

In simple terms, robotics can be defined as the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation and application of robots.

However, robotics as a field involves several subsets with related areas like automation and artificial intelligence (AI).

Although both automation and robotics have been used interchangeably, these terms have certain differences.

While automation can be defined as the process of using technology to carry out specific tasks, not all robots are designed for automation. However, most robots — especially the ones used in industries — are designed for the process of automation.

As Junji Tsuda, president of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) puts it, “robots evolve with many cutting edge technologies.”

“Industrial robots are a crucial part of the progress of manufacturing industry,” Tsuda said.

In particular, the automotive industry has emerged as the largest sector to use industrial robots as it has been said the manufacturing of cars have become more complex in recent years. IFR noted that various manufacturers have embraced automated solutions using robots to finish “substantial portions” of manufacturing.

Unmanned aerial vehicles — or drones as it’s commonly called — is a field covering aerial robotics with its initial use being military-related, while commercial applications have become increasingly popular. As CB Insights notes, applications of drones involve several sectors from military to gaming, and from fighting wars to forecasting weather.

Autonomous cars, or self-driving cars, are capable of detecting the surroundings with little or no human input. While the potential benefits of these autonomous vehicles includes increased mobility and reduced costs, their problems rely on legal framework and its capabilities, such as the safety of passengers.

As compared to other branches of robotics, surgical robotics are comparatively more matured with the technology developed for many surgeries including cardiac, spinal and endoluminal.

Despite being an emerging field, nanorobotics or nanobots are increasingly becoming popular in the medical field. Nanorobotics is the field associated with the tasks for producing machines at nanoscale sizes.

Additionally, there are robots which are formed as a subset of robotics and AI that are capable of performing complex tasks while also providing companionship and entertainment.

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Sophia, the AI robot developed by Hanson Robotics, is a prime example of AI and robotics coming together to form a human-like robot. Sophia was granted Saudi Arabian citizenship and has made numerous public appearances across the globe.

Future outlook

In January 2019, the 2019 World Economic Forum (WEF) conference was held in Davos, Switzerland, where over 100 government and business leaders attended. The WEF conference had an overall theme of “Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

Klaus Schwab, executive chairman of the WEF said at the opening ceremony that the Globalization 4.0 has to be more human centred.

“We are now in some ways in a battle between robots and humankind,” Schwab said. “We don’t want to become slaves of the new technologies.”

While the theme of automation resonated throughout the event, the New York Times reported that several corporate executives at the event have bet big on machines to replace humans.

In its Future of Jobs report, WEF said that half of all companies think that automation will reduce their workforce by 2022 with 75 million jobs set to be displaced. However, it was also said that more than 133 million jobs would be created as a result of automation, but would have be shared between humans, machines and even algorithms.

Although several firms have predicted diverse reports on the job loses with the deployment of robotics and automation, Dimitar Raykov and Mubashar Iqbal created a site Will Robots take my job for this purpose. The site predicts a likelihood of a position replaced by robots.

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In November 2018, Transparency Market Research in a report said that the global robotics market is expected to reach a value of US$ 147.26 billion by 2025. The firm said that the robotics market would witness an annual compound growth rate of 17.4 percent by 2025.

Ways to invest in robotics

With such growth predicted across the robotics industry, and with companies betting on robotics automation, investors certainly have plenty of ways to consider investing in the sector, including:

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CRISPR technology — otherwise known as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats — is a rapidly growing component of the overarching genetics industry, which has proven to be an essential part of human genome editing.

In fact, it was only in 2012 that CRISPR was initially discovered, according to a CB Insights report, and is now working to completely transform how some of the world’s biggest problems are solved. Cancer, food shortages and organ transplants are just some of the areas CRISPR technology is working to evolve.

Broad Institute said that in early 2013, Zhang lab revealed the first method to spearhead CRISPR to edit the genome in mouse and human cells.

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Similarly, it was only just a few years ago — in 2016, to be exact — that cells modified with CRISPR-Cas9 were finally injected into a human subject. CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing systems are comprised of short non-coding RNA molecules as the DNA binding domain and Cas9 enzymes having DNA-cleaving functions.

In addition to that, in October 2018 it was revealed that a new CRISPR tool can open up more of the genome for editing. According to the report, researchers were able to detect a Cas9 enzyme that can target nearly half the locations on the genome, “significantly widening its potential use.”

As you can see, the rise of CRISPR technology is still in the very early stages of development, but with a variety of clinical trials currently underway, it’s clear that CRISPR technology and all of its components will have a significant impact in real-world applications. As Doudna Labs puts it, “CRISPR-CAS9 gene-editing strategies have revolutionized our ability to engineer the human genome for robust functional interrogation of complex biological processes.”

On that note, here, the Investing News Network provides an overview to the rise of CRISPR technology, its market outlook, and what trials are currently in progress.

What is CRISPR technology?

While CRIPSR technology has certainly evolved in recent years, you might still be asking what, exactly, it is. Doudna explains that bacteria and archaea have adaptive immunity against foreign genetic elements using CRISPR-Cas systems. When infected, new foreign DNA sequences are “captured” and placed into the host CRISPR locus as a new spacer.

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CRISPR is, in other words, a series of short repeating DNA sequences with “spacers” in between. These genetic sequences are used by bacteria to know the specific viruses that attack them, which does this by fusing a virus’ DNA into a bacterial genome. According to CB Insights, this viral DNA then becomes the spacers in the CRISPR sequence.

When a virus attacks bacteria, human DNA is merged into a CRISPR sequence in the genome’s bacteria. What this means is when the virus attacks, it will be remembered by the bacteria and will send RNA and Cas to find and destroy the virus.

This is where CRISPR-Cas9 comes in. Bacterial defense systems form the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology, which is a new DNA sequence that carries a “fixed” version of a gene. CRISPR-Cas9 is otherwise known as a Cas variety that is used to cut both human and animal DNA. In order for Cas9 to function, it also requires a PAM sequence, which is a specific protospacer adjacent motif. The PAM sequence is dependent on the bacterial specifies of the Cas9 gene.

Broad Institute wrote that because CRISPR-Cas9 systems can cut DNA strands, CRISPRs therefore don’t need to be paired with a separate cleaving enzyme. However, they can easily be paired with a guide RNA (gRNA) sequence that “leads” to their DNA targets. Broad Institute further highlights that that CRISPR-Cas9 can “identify and modify ‘typos’ in the three-billion letter sequence of the human genome in an effort to treat genetic disease.”

Thanks to advancements in CRISPR research, it has progressed beyond basic DNA testing, CB Insights said in its report. Case in point, it was only in December 2017 that the Salk Institute created a “handicapped version” of the CRISPR-Cas9 system, which can turn a targeted gene on or off without having to edit the genome.

The report says that this process has the potential to ease concerns regarding the “permanent nature of gene editing.”

CRISPR technology market outlook

While CRISPR technology is still in its early days, there is no sure way of knowing just how significant its impact will be. What we do know, however, is that it’s undoubtedly promising.

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A report from Kalorama Information projects that the CRISPR/-Cas9 technology market will increase 33.7 percent between the forecast period of 2017 to 2023, growing from US$ 779 million to US$ 5.2 billion during that time. North America and Europe will account for 70 percent of revenues, but that other areas will showcase faster revenue growth for a longer period of time.

Meanwhile, a Research and Markets report estimates that the CRISPR technology market will grow from US$ 562 million in 2018 to US$ 1.72 billion in 2023, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 25 percent during that period.

Driving that growth will be an increase in funding, private investments and, of course, a rise in adoption of CRISPR technology.

The fastest growing component during the forecast period will be the CRISPR services segment, which includes gRNA design and vector construction, cell line engineering, screening services and mediated transcriptome editing and epigenome editing services. According to Research and Markets, cell line engineering will grow the fastest out of these components.

In terms of market share, the biomedical applications segment will hold the largest over that growth period, which includes gene therapy, drug discovery and diagnostics.

Already, a number of gene therapy trials are in progress, which should certainly assist in pushing forward the adoption of CRISPR technology.

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Trials, approvals and collaborations

According to ClinicalTrials.gov, there are currently nine trials that are in the recruiting or not yet recruiting stage. Six of them are based in China, most of which are taking place at hospitals. Some Chinese universities are also gearing up for trials.

That said, there are a number of other ones taking place in North America and Europe to watch for. The University of Pennsylvania began a study on September 5, 2018, which is the first human trial in the US. The trial is geared to test CRISPR’s potential to attack four conditions, including: multiple myeloma, melanoma, synovial sarcoma and myxoid/round cell liposarcoma, which are different cancer diseases. According to ClinicalTrials.gov, an estimated 18 patients will be enrolled with the study expected to complete in January 2033.

Each patient will have blood cells removed and editing will then delete genes in the T cells. These edits will remove gene codes for PD-1 protein and provide T cells a receptor for NY-ESO-1, which is a protein found on tumors.

The second notable trial is a collaboration between Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) and CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP). This phase 1/2 study is to treat thalassemia, which is a blood disorder. The study, which began in September 14, 2018, will enroll an estimated 45 patients with a CTX001 therapy, which they will receive a single infusion through a central venous catheter. The Scientist describes the therapy as treating diseases which have a deficiency in the production of hemoglobin in adults. The study will remove blood cells from the patient, then edit and replace them. This study is expected to be completed in May 2022.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics are spearheading another trial for the CTX001 therapy in patients with severe sickle cell disease. The study, which began on November 27, 2018, will evaluate the safety and efficacy of autologous CRISPR-Cas9 modified CD34+ human hematopoietic and progenitor cells (hHSPCs) using the therapy. hHSPCs are comprised of a rare population of tissue-specific sells that are able to self-renew and differentiate into new lineages of the blood cell system.

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Meanwhile Editas Medicine (NASDAQ:EDIT), a genome editing company, received Investigational New Drug application from the US Food and Drug Administration for its EDIT-101 in November 2018. EDIT-101 is an experimental genome editing medicine that is being investigated to treat Leber Congenital Amaurosis type 10 (LCA10). Leber Congenital Amaurosis is a disease of the eye affecting the retina that detects light and color.

Thanks to the IND acceptance, Editas Medicine received US$ 25 million from Allergan to discover and develop experimental ocular medicines targeting vision-threatening diseases. With Allergan Pharmaceuticals, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Allergan (NYSE:AGN), 10 to 20 patients will enroll in a Phase 1/2 open label study to evaluate EDIT-101.

EDIT-101 is given through a subretinal injection to reach and deliver the gene editing tool directly to photoreceptor cells. While the company was given IND in November, there has been no word on when the company expects to begin enrolling patients.

Finally, Intellia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NTLA) and Novartis revealed a collaboration in December 2018 to pursue a CRISPR-Cas9-based genome editing cell therapy in stem cell population. The collaboration aims to include the ex vivo development of innovative cell therapies using Ocular stem cells.

In short, the CRISPR technology market is still very much in its infancy. However, with clinical trials already in development and with more on the way, the opportunity for investors is present in this growing market.

The Pebble copper-gold project has taken a step forward after the US Army Corps of Engineers released its draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on the project, with its owner and developer Northern Dynasty Mineraks (TSX:NDM) saying that the review doesn’t highlight any “significant” challenges to the project going forward.

In a Wednesday (February 20) release, Pebble Partnership CEO Tom Collier said that a preliminary review of the EIS (which is hundreds of pages long) “shows no major data gaps or substantive impacts associated with a mine at the Pebble site.”

On the TSX on Wednesday, Northern Dynasty’s share price increased by 14 percent to C$ 1.34, though by Thursday (February 21) it was pulling back, down to C$ 1.25.

“We see no significant environmental challenges that would preclude the project from getting a permit and believe this shows Alaska stakeholders that there is a clear path forward for this project,” said Collier.

Northern Dynasty has long promoted the Pebble project in Bristol Bay, Alaska, as a major — and undeveloped — copper and gold project, with a measured and indicated resource of 57 billion pounds of copper, 71 million ounces of gold, 3.4 billion pounds of molybdenum and 345 million ounces of silver.

As part of a widespread reimagining of what it means to manufacture automobiles, German carmaker Volkswagen (FWB:VOW) plans to “assume overall responsibility” of its vehicles from inception to demolition.

A key element of this new corporate strategy is the development of an electric vehicle battery recycling plant, which is currently in the earliest stages at the company’s Salzgitter factory, located in south-west Braunschweig, Germany.

Recycling the battery metals contained in an electric or hybrid vehicle is a simple concept, however developing the technologies to extract the materials safely and effectively requires advanced applications, which are currently being developed.

“Another reason why multiple use of these four raw materials in particular is so important and useful is that their extraction and use is crucial for a company’s carbon footprint.”

For Volkswagen, the end result of the recycling process will be usable material it can introduce back into its manufacturing process chain, reducing overhead costs and landfill waste.

The announcement coincides with Volkswagen’s initial foray into the electric vehicle sector with its ID Group, which plans to launch its “e-mobility for all” campaign this year. The ID Group has planned the staggered launch of four distinct electric vehicles, with production of the ID, Volkswagen’s first electric concept vehicle scheduled for later this year.

Naturally, the German manufacturer is also developing a battery cell production plant that would utilize some of the materials extracted during the recycling process.

Volkswagen plans to have the pilot recycling plant up and running in 2020.

“Batteries can be recycled here [the pilot plant] as early as 2020 — initially 1,200 tons per year,” noted the press release. “This corresponds to 3,000 vehicle batteries. A further increase in capacity is envisaged for subsequent years.”

The recycling process will be broken into two sectors, second life and straight recycling. The latter is the straightforward process of breaking down the various battery components, until what remains is “black powder,” containing the valuable raw materials of cobalt, lithium, manganese, and nickel. These material are then separated and reused in battery cell production.

Second life looks to get a little more energy out of the batteries by incorporating them into autonomous charging stations that can be easily erected and operated.

As the report explained: “Alternatively, the quick charging stations are equipped with power connections and thus provide e-drivers with a quick charging option on long trips along freeways and national highways. Batteries in a “second life” are ideally suited to all such applications.”

The initial pilot plant in Salzgitter will followed by additional recycling plants in the coming years, as part of the company’s ambitious goal to ultimately recycle 97 percent of all raw materials. With the Salzgitter plant Volkswagen will hit 72 percent, well on its way to its end goal.

“Our growth will be driven by increased volume in our core lithium business,” the company said. “We are not forecasting any significant macroeconomic headwinds and have not seen any decline in our customer demand forecasts,” the company added.

Most analysts agree with this bullish demand forecast for lithium, a key element in batteries used to power electric cars.

“Albemarle’s latest lithium demand number is just above 1.2 million tonnes by 2025. A figure that supply will never be able to meet in time,” Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Managing Director Simon Moores said after the news.

“The energy storage revolution is coming but will be delayed,” he added.

The London-firm, which provides price assessments of raw materials including lithium, cobalt and graphite, expects lithium demand to increase by over eight times by 2028 to 1,570,020 million tonnes if full battery megafactory capacity is achieved.

The company holds lithium assets in the Salar de Atacama in Chile, Clayton Valley near Silver Peak in USA and Greenbushes in Australia.

Last year, the company sign a deal to invest US$ 1.15 billion in a joint venture with Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN), which will own and operate the Wodgina hard-rock lithium mine in Western Australia, with plans to develop a plant producing lithium hydroxide for batteries.

On Thursday (February 21), shares of Albemarle were up more than 6 percent after the news, trading at US$ 88.10 in New York.

When QuadrigaCX’s founder Gerald Cotten died last month, he took the private keys to Quadriga’s cold storage wallets with him.

The founder and CEO died from Crohn’s disease in December 2018. He was the only individual to know the private keys that could access $ 136 million USD in cryptocurrencies stored offline.

QuadrigaCX Creditor Protection

After the fact, the exchange was granted creditor protection by The Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. This meant it could take some time to try and recover the missing cryptocurrencies. It was also going to try to recoup its losses …

The company, which was a 2017 finalist of GoldCorp’s (TSX:G,NYSE:GG) #DisruptMining competition, is the first public artificial intelligence company in mining and it is poised to make big waves within the industry.

“It’s a transformative time for the mining industry,” Denis Laviolette, CEO of GoldSpot, told the Investing News Network (INN) following the company going public.

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“It’s a big milestone… over three years of blood, sweat and tears… shareholders are happy,” he added.

Laviolette also stated that going public further proves that they are a real business, stating, “[now is the time] to show the market that’s the case.”

The CEO acknowledged that today’s news will allow the company to garner more exposure and to be even more of a vehicle for companies that are looking for a new type of investment within the mining sector.

And what does this new type of investment look like? According to the company, it will enable future resource development by breaking down exploration barriers with data driven science, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

As future discoveries in the mining sphere involve deeper and more complex ore bodies, hidden by overburden and other geological structures, GoldSpot believes that its technology, which is big data, is the solution to comprehending what the human brain alone cannot.

For Laviolette, he sees it as an opportunity to, “unlock [the] value in mining.”

Currently, GoldSpot’s target audience resides within the junior mining sector, but that hasn’t stopped the company from gaining the attention and monetary backing from major players within the both the mining and tech space.

Holmes is just one of the many investors that currently backs the company, with a list that includes industry heavy-hitters such as Eric Sprott, Rob McEwen, Triple Flag Mining and Hochschild Mining (LSE:HOC,OTC Pink:HCHDF).

With services that will give companies the ability to “extract every last drop” out of their combined data (press releases, drill hole results, survey results etc), the company plans to disrupt the mining industry for many years to come.

Securities Disclosure: I, Nicole Rashotte, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.

Lomiko Metals Inc. (“Lomiko”) (TSXV:LMR, LMRMF, FSE: DH8C, (ISIN: CA54163Q1028) (WKN: A0Q9W7) (LEI: 529900GJP51V4HR9MN94) is pleased to report that Mr. David Luck has been appointed to the Lomiko Board of Directors.

Mr. Luck has served eleven years as a director, Chief Financial Officer and Operations Manager for Northern Canadian Supplies Ltd., an industrial supply and facilities service company, in the oil and gas industry. Mr. Luck has also been a senior site administrator in the public sector during the past twenty years. With a background in public education, business development and marketing management, David is enthusiastic about representing shareholders and providing objective information to assist shareholders and potential investors.

In addition to serving as an independent director, Mr. Luck will also fill a role as an Audit Committee Member, replacing Mr. Brian Gusko. Mr. Gusko has resigned as a Director but will remain on the Lomiko Board of Advisors. The Board wishes to thank Mr. Gusko for his years of service as a Director to the Company.

For more information on Lomiko Metals, review the website at www.lomiko.com, contact A. Paul Gill at 604-729-5312 or email: info@lomiko.com.

On Behalf of the Board,

“A. Paul Gill”

Chief Executive Officer We seek safe harbor. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Less than 24 hours ago, Samsung Mobile announced the release of its next-generation Galaxy smartphone. The new Samsung Galaxy S10 is beautifully designed, and it includes a new feature that many crypto enthusiasts might appreciate.

First Vanadium (TSXV:FVAN,OTCQX: FVANF,FWB:1PY) has announced that it has been named a 2019 TSXV 50 company, an annual ranking of the top performers on the TSX Venture Exchange.

As quoted from the press release:

The winning companies have seen tremendous growth over the past year, offered remarkable return to their shareholders and are actively traded in the market.

Each year leading TSX Venture companies are judged by the Exchange on three equally weighted criteria:

market capitalization growth;

share price appreciation; and

trading volume

Based on the above noted criteria, First Vanadium has achieved second ranking in the mining sector and has been featured in a TSX Venture 50 video.

First Vanadium president and CEO, Paul Cowley stated, “We are delighted and honoured to be recognized by this prestigious TSX Venture ranking and to be associated with other high quality performers. We would like to thank our shareholders for their continued support, as our team works hard to unlock value by advancing our Carlin Vanadium Project.”